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Tamet Lodge - Arrow Neckerchief Slides

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About Tamet Lodge Arrow Slides

The use of carved wooden neckerchief slides in the shape of an arrow started in 1942, the first summer of the Order of the Arrow in Crescent Bay Council. The originator of the idea is unknown but by the following summer, red arrow neckerchief slides were clearly the insignia of Tamet Lodge. Tamet means "sun" in the language of the Lenai Lenape Indians.

However, the twelve-pointed sun totem of Tamet Lodge was not developed until 1947, when white & red Tamet neckerchiefs were first issued in conjunction with hosting the Area U, Section A regional OA conference at Camp Josepho. Between 1942-46, red arrow neckerchief slides were the only insignia of Tamet Lodge.
It is believed the original arrow slides were individually carved by Tamet members from wood scraps. By 1943, scraps were replaced by pre-cut wooden arrow blanks fabricated by Frank "Pop"Pudney, Camp Josepho Handicraft Director between 1941-46. During the 1940's, Arrow candidates received a plain wooden arrow blank which could then be personalized by further carving and sanding. Once the candidates had completed their final ordeal, they were allowed to paint their wooden slides red, signifying full membership in Tamet Lodge.

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Blow-up of mural flanking left side of stage in the lodge at Camp Josepho,
painted by California artist Tess Razalle Carter between 1943-44. The Camp Josepho
staff man is wearing a Tamet Lodge arrow slide on his yellow staff neckerchief.

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Arrow slides could be worn pointing to the left or the right, each direction having significance as part of a verbal tradition passed down from the original Tamet Lodge members. Ordeal members wore their arrow slides pointing to their right while brotherhood members wore their slides pointing to their left. In the first few years of Tamet Lodge, before there were brotherhood members, the meaning of wearing the slide pointing to one's left is unclear. By the mid 1950's, the significance of the slide's direction had lost its meaning and slides were typically worn pointing to the wearer's right, irrespective of rank or honor in the OA.
Use of pre-cut arrow slide blanks ended in the 1950's, but the tradition of carving a wooden arrow as part of the candidates' OA ordeal continued in Tamet Lodge through the merger with Walika Lodge in 1972.

circa 1942
Tamet Lodge Arrow Slides


		Carved ½ inch thick pine. Painted burgundy		Carved & sanded 1 inch thick pine. Painted burgundy red. This thicker version became the template of the 1940's

1942
Camp Josepho Staff Photo
(photo copy)

Three Camp Josepho staff men can be seen wearing Arrow neckerchief slides.

Front Row L-R: Alden Barber (future Chief Scout Executive); Dick Rice (3rd Lodge Chief); unknown; Dick Iseminger (5th Lodge Chief);
Back Row L-R: John Erlichman (2nd Lodge Chief); unknown; Martin Weinstien; Jack Davies (founder & 1st Lodge Chief).
(image courtesy Dr. Paul Millman)

1944
Camp Josepho Staff Photo

The third summer of Order of the Arrow at Camp Josepho - almost every staff man is wearing a Tamet arrow slide.

Front Row L-R: Dave ?; Don Iseminger; Fred Ehlerlick; Don Barr; Dick Brovo; Varro Smith; Stan Weiss; Arnold Feldman
2nd Row L-R: Rudy Frolick; Trever Heistan; Dave Young; Woveli Fisher; Bill Ramsey; Dick Carncross, Dick Loquam;Dick Hydel; Al Miller
3rd Row L-R: Frank "Pop" Pudney; Dick Iseminger (5th Lodge Chief); Don Wharton; Bob Smith; Ed Miser; Roger Ryan; Jim Miner;
Jerry Saunders (4th Lodge Chief); Mayo Wright
Top Row L-R: Russel Rayburn; Jack Holman; Jay Leanse; Jerome Early; George Aunger, Oliver Heron; Tom Canady (6rth Lodge Chief); Elwood Smith; F R "Uncle Bob" Hill

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Arrow Slide Blanks

By the mid 1940's, Camp Josepho Handicraft Director, "Pop" Pudney was prefabricating wooden arrow slide blanks in the handicraft lodge. Various woods were used for the blanks including pine, mahogany and dark mahogany, the same woods used for the signed plaques encircling the walls in the Camp Josepho lodge building. Arrowman were free to carve and sand their blank slides before painting them with red oil-based paint. Some members choose to simply paint the wooden blanks "as is", with no additional finishing.


		Pre-cut from 1 inch thick mahogony.		Pre-cut from 1 inch thick dark mahogony.

		The rules for election into Tamet Lodge changed after World War II when Camps Emerald Bay and Wolverton re-opened in 1946. Prior to that time, scouts and scouters were tapped-out into the Order of the Arrow at Camp Josepho each session where they would take their ordeal and become members of the Order. With the expansion of Tamet Lodge to the additional camps, it is believed that full membership into the Lodge was split into two parts. The first part of election during camp remained the same, with tap-outs being held at all three camps. The second part was completion of a separate ordeal at the annual dinner meeting held each September at Camp Josepho. Around this time, arrow slide blanks took on a new meaning and use. Once tapped out, candidates were issued an arrow slide blank but were not allowed to paint it. They could wear the unfinished arrow slide or the universal Arrow pin, but no other OA insignia (including the painted Tamet Lodge arrow slide) until they completed their final ordeal at Camp Josepho.		Unfinished Arrow Slides 1951 Tamet Lodge By-Laws Article X, Sections 2-4, p 10

1940's - 50's Arrow Slide Blanks
Altered but Unpainted and therefore "Unfinished"


		Sanded arrow slide blank made of mahogany		Carved & sanded arrow slide blank made of mahogany


		Carved arrow slide blank made of pine		Heavily sanded arrow slide blank made of dark mahogany with a white lacquer overcoat. Technically "unfinished" and possibly worn by an Arrowman who was tapped-out but did not complete his final ordeal at Camp Josepho.

Excerpt from January, 1950, Tamet Lodge Tom-Tom

Red Arrow Slides		1951 Emerald Bay Staff Photo (Crop of original Kodacolor® print)
Once members completed the final ordeal at Camp Josepho, they were entitled to paint their unfinished arrow slide red. Typically, the slides were painted with an oil base paint (the kind that contained lots of lead). Different shades of red were used ranging from bright red to deep burgundy. Members often personalized their wooden slides with different carving patterns and even applied totems. Arrow slides made from pre-cut wooden blanks issued by Tamet Lodge ended in the late 1950's. However, members were always free to carve or construct their own arrow shaped slides and wear them as part of their uniforms. By the 1960's, members could be seen wearing individually crafted arrow slides in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, each design unique to the Arrowman who made it. The 1960's also saw manufactured plastic Tamet Lodge slides that overtook the use of plain red arrow slides in popularity.
		Front Row: Bill Douglas, 1951 Lodge Chief, on left. Back Row: Gordon Watson-1953 Lodge Chief, on left; Bob Hawkins,center: Dick Rice, 1943 Lodge Chief, 4th from left.

1943- Mid 1950's
Finished from Wooden Blanks Issued by Tamet Lodge

All painted in colors ranging from bright red to burgundy


		Lightly sanded with no carving.		Carved & sanded from a blank similar to the slide at left.

These two slides have been carved & sanded with very rounded edges.
This style of modification was popular in the early 1950's.

These two slide were made by Pierce and Proctor Weir in the early 1950's. Small Tamet suns made from wood were glued
onto their finished slide blanks. Proctor Weir was one of two original Vigil Honor members elected
by Tamet lodge in 1951. Proctor's slide (on right) has a Vigil Honor triangle of three small arrows drawn inside the sun.
(images courtesy of Pierce Weir)


		Carved details in arrowhead and fletching. This style of carved slide can be seen on Tamet Arrowmen from the mid 1940's-50's.		Lightly sanded pine with no carving. Blanks made of pine were shaped slightly differently than the mahogany blanks. It is possible they were the blanks fabricated at Camps Emerald Bay or Wolverton.

see a 1940's Sequoyah Chapter
red arrow neckerchief slide

Mid-Late 1950's
"Hollow-Cut" Arrow Slides

A new approach to carving and customizing Tamet Arrow slide blanks emerged in the mid 1950's. Instead of carving and rounding the perimeter of the blank, some Arrowmen began carving the inside of the slide. Painting the perimeter edge white was a further modification. These types of customization, along with the passing of "Pop" Pudney, maker of the slide blanks, may have ultimately contributed to the demise of standardized arrow slide blanks issued by Tamet Lodge.

Hollow-cut and painted deep burgundy.

Hollow-cut with white and dark red paint.
Pete Haslund, 1959-60 Lodge Chief, can be seen
wearing his slide, very similar to the example above.
(Photo taken at the 1959 officers' installation dinner)

Made by Tamet Lodge Members
Late 1940's-60's

Carving a wooden arrow slide during a candidate's ordeal was a tradition in Tamet Lodge dating back to the 1940's. Some members finished and wore the arrow slides they began during their ordeal ceremonies. By the 1960's all types of home-made arrow slides fabricated from different materials could be seen adorning the uniforms of Tamet Lodge members.

	Late 1940's			1947 Pen lettering on wood. Inscription reads: July 1947 Inducted into Order of the Arrow Camp Wolverton "Out Post Camp"
	Wood burning & Pen details on varnished plywood. (image courtesy of Pierce Weir)			Troop 40 (image courtesy of Pierce Weir)

Late 1940's
Sequoyah Chapter

Carved & painted wooden arrow
embedded in a Sequoia cone.
Crafted by an unknown Arrowman at
Camp Wolverton.

see > Sequoyah Chapter

		1950's			1950's

		Sanded & painted wood. 3/8 inch thick. Plastic ring glued to back.			Sanded & painted wood.

(Date Unknown)		(Date Unknown)

Sanded & painted wood. Notched arrowhead & fletching.		Sanded & painted wood. Raised arrow shaft.

(Date Unknown)		(Date Unknown)

Painted Lead		Sanded & painted wood. Raised arrow shaft.

(Date Unknown)		1950's

Sanded & painted wood. "Pac Man" Fletching.		Sanded & painted wood. 1 ¼ inch thick.

(Date Unknown)		(Date Unknown)

Sanded & painted wood. Arrow on Arrow.		Molded Acrylic. Arrow on Arrow.

		(Date Unknown)		(Date Unknown)

		Milled anodized aluminum with ring on back.		Molded Acrylic.

		(Date Unknown)			(Date Unknown)

		Carved wood blank.			Painted carved wood.

(Date Unknown)	(Date Unknown)	(Date Unknown)

Painted carved wood.	Painted carved wood.	Painted molded plastic. Neal® slide.

Unfinished Neal® Slide Blank
1960's

Molded plastic. Neal® slides were commercially available
and used by Scouts through out the USA.

		(Date Unknown)			1968

		Molded plastic			Carved & painted wood glued to unfinished wood. Crafted by Jeff Morley as his Brotherhood slide.

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Tamet Lodge - Arrow Neckerchief Slides